Patrimonio's Guitar Nighs in Corsica

The festival was born in 1990 from the common initiative of Guy Maestracci, amateur guitarist and then recently elected mayor of Patrimonio, and Jean-Bernanrd Gilormini, another huge guitar enthusiast who doubtlessly caught the bug from his cousin André. This trio was quickly reinforced by numerous volunteers each bringing their respective talents and energy to what was an ambitious and risky venture from the start, namely to attract to Patrimonio the World’s biggest and best known guitarists, whatever the style or genre, so as to bring guitar and music lovers together with their heroes and heroines to an intimate and friendly arena for evenings of unforgettable exchange and memories.

The first festival over only three evenings brought together the island's best guitarists with headliners such as Babik Reinhardt, Roland Dyens, Raphaël Faÿs. The following year saw the likes of Marcel Dadi, Larry Coryel and Birelli Lagrène casting their spell over the village of Patrimonio.

All these musicians of international renown, seduced by the breathtaking beauty of the festival site, by the enthusiasm of the audience and by the welcoming and friendly organisers were to become the best ambassadors of the teething festival. This meant that over the years, as the word began to spread, Patrimonio has been able to fulfil its initial ambition and has had the honour and pleasure of hosting real guitar greats such as Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Mike Stern, John Scofield, Jim Hall, Chrisitan Escoudé, Vincente Amigo, Tomatito, Gilberto Gil, the Assad brothers, etc. In short, the dream became a reality.